Chapter 47
Doras pondered. When do demons get most angry?
When they are beaten to the point of being bruised and battered?
“No.”
When they are defeated in a decisive battle and have to retreat?
“No.”
When their food is snatched away?
“No… Well, this one makes me a bit conflicted.”
But this is also not it.
The most infuriating thing is a different matter.
“It’s when they are betrayed by a bug-like human!”
He had pampered him, and yet he dared to betray him!
He wanted to rush over and rip Choi Hyun-seok’s limbs apart right away!
He was so angry that his body was trembling uncontrollably.
His plump flesh shook along with his trembling body.
From a distance, it looked like a huge pudding swaying back and forth.
“Choi Hyun-seok…”
A red glow emanated from Doras’ eyes.
“Choi Hyun-seeeeok!!!”
Rage consumed his reason.
At this moment, Doras’ mind was filled with only the thought of killing Choi Hyun-seok.
Doras decided.
He will use his ultimate technique.
“Fightcraft!”
Fightcraft, as the word implies, is the art of fighting.
So most fightcraft is a kind of martial art.
Choi Hyun-seok’s ‘Reidrun-style Fighting Technique’ also belongs to this category.
But not all fightcraft is like this.
Originally, fightcraft was one of the ways to use magic.
There was no need to be confined to the form of just moving the body, when one could use magic that can do anything.
In this context, ‘formless fightcraft’ was born.
“Plomot, Stage 1. Blossoming!”
Doras shouted as he put his palms together.
Then Doras’ body began to glow bright red.
“Grr…”
His body grew hot.
The Plomot he used was an ancient fightcraft that had been passed down from long ago.
This fightcraft, which means ‘Flower of Death’ in the ancient language, is divided into three stages: ‘Blossoming – Full Bloom – Withering’, and its characteristic is to burn one’s own life to unleash explosive power.
“Huu…”
A few seconds later, Doras’ body, having completed the first stage of Blossoming, was dyed pink.
“I’ll kill you…!”
Normally, he should have stopped here.
As he progresses to the next stage, he would gain greater power, but it was too risky.
Doras’ level of mastery of Plomot was still low, so going any further was dangerous.
But Doras did not stop.
The burning anger was lashing him on.
“Stage 2. Full Bloom…”
As he spat out the words, a terrifying pain swept over him.
A pain like his body was being burned.
Crunch…!
Doras inadvertently gritted his teeth.
His body grew redder and redder, until it was as red as if he had been drenched in blood.
It looked just like a red flower in full bloom.
The second stage of Plomot. Full Bloom.
***
A chaotic war.
There are no allies, everyone is an enemy.
Screams echo from all sides, and blood is rampant.
Amidst this confusion, Choi Hyun-seok’s mind was pushed to the limit.
‘That pig… He’s completely lost it!’
Doras had gone mad.
The fully crimson Doras had transformed into a mass murderer.
Crack! Kwaaah!
He destroys everything that blocks his path.
His entire body was like a deadly weapon.
The Nidlark who had been fiercely fighting Doras just a moment ago was already dead with his head smashed.
“Choi Hyun-seeeeeok!”
Doras glared at Choi Hyun-seok with a murderous gaze.
“Hero! Doras has gone crazy!”
“Is this the time to argue!? Instead of complaining, just run!”
The only thing Choi Hyun-seok could do was run away.
Fortunately, there were plenty of hiding places.
Huge monsters were fighting all around, so he could use the terrain and the monsters to evade Doras.
“Stand there! I’ll cut off your legs!”
“Would you stand there if you were me!?”
If he’s caught, it’s the end.
If it ends with his legs being cut off as the demon said, it would be a relief.
Judging from his crazed eyes, he would clearly cut off his limbs and then smash his head to kill him.
“Rachel! The buff is wearing off!”
“Got it!”
Rachel cast the buff again.
If it weren’t for Rachel’s help, he wouldn’t have been able to escape and would have died.
“This is not the answer. If only there was something that could help…”
Choi Hyun-seok looked around.
“Aaahhh!”
“Kwaaang!”
“Usa! Usa! Usa! Usa!”
The situation was at its worst.
Bobo and Usaru were busy fighting other monsters, and the regular soldiers were being trampled on like ants by the monsters.
There was no one left with the strength to help Choi Hyun-seok.
“Choi Hyun-seok! If you get caught, I’ll tear you apart alive!”
Doras shouted as he tore a monster blocking the way in half.
‘I have to find a way to resolve this myself!’
Choi Hyun-seok’s head was spinning frantically, trying to find a way out.
‘At least it’s fortunate that more monsters keep pouring in…’
Suddenly, an idea flashed in Choi Hyun-seok’s head.
“Crisis is opportunity!”
“What nonsense are you suddenly spouting!?”
Choi Hyun-seok didn’t answer and just ran. Towards the huge swarm of monsters in front of him.
“Hero! Those are ogres! If you approach them carelessly, it’ll be disastrous!”
“It’s fine. I have a plan!”
Ogres are powerful monsters with a minimum individual Combat Power of 30,000. With them gathered in a swarm, they were the most dangerous group present.
Running straight into them was pure madness, a suicidal act.
But at this moment, to survive, he had to do this crazy thing.
“You think you can escape by running?! Blech!”
Choi Hyun-seok heard Doras’ voice shouting behind him.
A glance back showed Doras vomiting blood.
Suddenly, hope flickered in Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes.
‘Could it be that there’s something wrong with his body?’
But Doras was still chasing him, his eyes glowing red.
‘That’s right.’
Choi Hyun-seok quickly formulated his plan.
‘These monsters will prioritize attacking the powerful Doras.’
From the monster’s perspective, Choi Hyun-seok was just a minnow. As long as he didn’t provoke them first, they wouldn’t bother him.
But Doras was different. If asked to pick the most threatening individual here, it would undoubtedly be Doras.
And the same went for the ogre swarm.
“Uuuaargh!”
The ogres’ attention turned to the charging Doras.
“You pathetic monster spawn! Get out of my way!”
Doras charged, swinging and smashing the ogres.
‘Now’s the time.’
Choi Hyun-seok ran around, scanning the ogres.
‘Just one hit. I just need to find the one that looks like it’ll die from a single blow!’
Normally, Choi Hyun-seok alone could never take on an ogre.
Even in a one-on-one fight, he would most likely lose.
But an ogre that Doras had already beaten half to death was a different story.
‘That one!’
Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes landed on an ogre with its head half smashed in.
It seemed dead, but its chest was still rising and falling – it was still alive.
“Finishing blow! Thank you!”
Choi Hyun-seok charged and struck the ogre’s head with all his might.
Kwaaaang!
Then, without even looking back, he ran.
Simultaneously, alerts sounded in his ear.
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Just a single attack.
Merely tapping the already half-dead creature had earned him 6 level-ups.
‘This is it!’
Excitement filled Choi Hyun-seok’s eyes.
‘If it’s too hard to escape in my current state, I’ll just become stronger!’
These days, hunting yielded meager experience points.
He could only gain 1 or at most 2 levels a day.
But here, the forest’s mightiest were gathered.
And Doras, the ultimate trump card, was here too.
‘If Doras softens them up, I’ll finish them off!’
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
The level-up alerts kept coming without pause.
“This is it! This is it!”
When was the last time he had leveled up this explosively?
It had been since the Talas Nest incident.
Even as he ran, Choi Hyun-seok opened his status window to allocate his points.
‘Can’t waste a single point!’
▫Name: Choi Hyun-seok
▫Title: Hero Candidate
▫Level: 405
- Strength: 122
- Agility: 119
- Stamina: 123
- Magic: 121
- Charisma: 56
- Bonus Points: 33
▫Hero Points: 450
▫Skills: Pickaxe Mastery(C), Leadership(D), Cooking(D), Magic Control(D)
▫Skill: Reidrun-style Fighting Technique
When the battle started today, Choi Hyun-seok was level 372.
But in just a short moment, he had leveled up 33 times, reaching level 405 now.
Choi Hyun-seok quickly distributed the bonus points evenly.
“Keuheuheuheu!”
It felt exhilarating!
This freely gained experience was the best!
It was like getting a free meal with just a spoon.
The ultimate best-case scenario!
“Crisis is opportunity!”
The worries from just a moment ago were nowhere to be seen.
The unexpected and explosive leveling up had erased Choi Hyun-seok’s fear, flooding him with dopamine.
“Doras! Can you even catch me as you stagger around like that!?”
“What, what!?”
“That’s why you should have taken off that fat a long time ago, you pig!”
“Aaahhh!”
***
“Aaahhh!”
Doras was fuming, on the verge of madness.
‘If I could just catch him, I could tear him apart in an instant!’
That insignificant human running away was truly a masterpiece.
Clearly, Doras was superior in every aspect of strength, speed, and more.
If they were to engage in a one-on-one fight, Doras was confident he could tear him apart in under 3 seconds.
The problem is the monsters scattered all around.
Choi Hyun-seok used the powerful monsters as a shield, buying time and repeatedly fleeing.
It was driving Doras crazy
‘That cockroach of a man…!’
Doras had to make a decision.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to catch Choi Hyun-seok.
The monsters were not decreasing, but only increasing.
And the side effects of using Plomot were starting to take a toll on Doras’ body.
At this rate, Doras’ body would collapse before he could catch Choi Hyun-seok
‘I’ll just kill you…’
Doras made his decision.
“Plomot, Stage 3…”
Using the final stage of Plomot, Withering, he could catch Choi Hyun-seok.
There was a high chance he would also meet his demise, but it didn’t matter
As long as he could tear that bug-like human apart!
“Withe… Blech!”
Just as he was about to use Withering, a surge of black blood suddenly spilled out
‘No!’
His body had reached its limit.
He could no longer maintain Plomot.
His fiery red body was rapidly reverting to its original color.
When the Plomot effect ended, severe side effects would follow.
He could temporarily become combat-incapable or even faint, and in severe cases, die.
Doras wouldn’t die, but he would suffer excruciating pain, unable to even move for a while.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!”
One way or another, the conclusion was clear.
Doras’ body had reached its limit.
Killing Choi Hyun-seok today was impossible.
“Aaahhh! Choi Hyun-seok!”
Doras, feeling aggrieved, grabbed a rock and started pounding his head.
“Why is that pig behaving like that?”
“Looks like he’s gone mad.”
Choi Hyun-seok and the fairy buzzing next to him muttered.
Doras glared at Choi Hyun-seok with a menacing gaze.
“Wait. I won’t just kill you. You’d better be alive when I come for you!”
“What nonsense are you spouting all of a sudden?
“Aaahhh!”
Doras let out an anguished roar and ran in the direction of the camp.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Choi Hyun-seok’s bewildered voice rang out from behind.
‘As soon as the Plomot side effects wear off, I’ll kill you. Until then, stay alive…!’
He would recover at the camp.
Then he would find and kill Choi Hyun-seok later.
Commander Hemis’ protection?
If he couldn’t kill Choi Hyun-seok, he might as well die from bile.
“If I can just get back to the camp…”
Just as Doras was spitting out those words,
“Get back to the camp? Not a chance, you pig!”
Choi Hyun-seok’s voice was coming from right behind him.
Doras’ eyes widened.
‘He caught up!?’
Was it because he had pushed himself too hard?
The side effects were progressing faster than expected.
The speed that had easily surpassed Choi Hyun-seok was now nearly equal.
“Pig! Looks like some side effect is making you run away, huh!”
“Making him run away!”
Choi Hyun-seok, who had already assessed the situation, grinned.
The equally enthusiastic Rachel shouted alongside Choi Hyun-seok.
“I made a promise, you know. Tonight’s dinner is a stir-fried pork party!”
“A stir-fried pork party! You got that!?”
Rachel, nestled in Choi Hyun-seok’s arms, was swinging her fists excitedly.L
“So, you can’t run away.”
“Don’t even think about running! You wicked pig! Hihihit!”
“Hahaha!”
What could have made the hero and his dedicated fairy like this?
Probably the extreme circumstances.
They had no choice but to do whatever it took to survive.
After all, there are no bad heroes in this world.
